I used to be a poster child for better habits.Back in the day, James Clear’s Atomic Habits sat enthroned on my nightstand. I was also the proud owner of a habit tracker, where I religiously logged my daily habits — sleep, yoga, reading, etc. And as if that wasn’t enough, the first article I published was about habits.Today, though, I consider the habit-building lifestyle a nightmare. It’s not exactly that habit-building has ruined my life, but it has done me more harm than good.Here’s what I mean.

Problem 1: The Boiling Frog

Last summer, I created “the perfect morning routine” — well, at least that’s how I thought of it before things went sideways.My routine would always start around 6 am, when the first sunrays cast squares of light into my room. Then, I would hop on my bike, ride to my local park, and do some bodyweight exercises. Back home, I would make breakfast and coffee before sitting down at my desk to write until noon. Each action clicked into the next as smoothly as the gears of delicate clockwork —And then, life happened.